Russ Feingold or The 2008 Presidential Candidate Thread

In response to Bu$h claiming to use his "inherent power as president" to authorize illegal NSA wiretaps -"If that's true, he doesn't need the Patriot Act because he can just make it up as he goes along. I tell you, he's President George Bush, not King George Bush. This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for,"

Sen. John Cornyn: "None of your civil liberties matter much after you're dead."Sen. Russ Feingold's retort: "Give me liberty or give me death."

Statement Of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On The Anti-Terrorism Bill
From The Senate Floor
October 25, 2001Of course, there is no doubt that if we lived in a police state, it would be easier to catch terrorists. If we lived in a country that allowed the police to search your home at any time for any reason; if we lived in a country that allowed the government to open your mail, eavesdrop on your phone conversations, or intercept your email communications; if we lived in a country that allowed the government to hold people in jail indefinitely based on what they write or think, or based on mere suspicion that they are up to no good, then the government would no doubt discover and arrest more terrorists.But that probably would not be a country in which we would want to live. And that would not be a country for which we could, in good conscience, ask our young people to fight and die. In short, that would not be America.

"Political watchers such as University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato point out that while Feingold's recent stands on civil liberties and the Iraq war may please liberal activists, they may well hurt his chances later on with moderate Democrats and conservatives. "The Senator's response?"I don't care,"... "Whatever political considerations I have are absolutely irrelevant to the decisions I make having to do with people's civil liberties and something as weighty as Americans risking their lives overseas. The day that I start think politically about those things is the day I should leave politics."

1. Russ holds a listening session in each one of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year, where he hears Wisconsinites talk about their concerns first-hand.2. Russ has one of the best attendance records in the U.S. Senate. Out of thousands of lifetime votes, Russ has missed only two. During this session of Congress he has not missed a single vote.3. Russ has given the "Calling of the Bankroll" on the Senate floor more than 30 times, in order to highlight the campaign contributions of major interests involved in legislation the Senate was considering.4. Russ cast the deciding vote in favor of the 1993 Deficit Reduction package, which by today has reduced the federal debt by over $40,000 for each family of four in Wisconsin.5. Russ has one of the highest lifetime voting records of any seated U.S. Senator from the League of Conservation Voters, a bipartisan group that advocates for environmental conservation.6. Russ ran his 1998 campaign for re-election under the guidelines of his own campaign finance reform bill, which had not yet been passed into law. Despite being outspent by millions of dollars, Russ won re-election to his second term.7. Russ has been hailed as a "Deficit Hawk" by the Concord Coalition, a non-partisan group that advocates fiscal responsibility in the federal government.8. The Capital Times, a Madison newspaper, has said that "Feingold['s] record on labor, environmental and international affairs is arguably the best in the Senate."9. Russ does not accept pay raises during his term in office. When his colleagues in Congress vote to increase their pay, Russ returns his share to the U.S. Treasury.10. Was the only member of the US Senate to vote against the Patriot Act and led a broad bi-partisan coalition four years later to stop a blind reauthorization of it.